With a new name and look, a non-profit collective dedicated to preserving YellowknifeSA国际影视传媒檚 past is forging ahead with an ambitious plan to breathe new life into a once-bustling community hub.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e re-launching and re-branding and we want people to get excited about saving history,SA国际影视传媒� said Yellowknife Historical Society president Walt Humphries during a meeting at Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre Thursday.

Along with the unveiling of an updated brand that reflects the groupSA国际影视传媒檚 evolving vision, Humphries announced to the dozens of history buffs and antiquity aficionados in attendance that after years of hurdles and false starts, the organization SA国际影视传媒� formerly known as Spirit YK and the NWT Mining Heritage Society SA国际影视传媒� will move ahead with its bid to turn the old Giant Mine recreation hall into a heritage museum by 2020.
SA国际影视传媒淔inally, with some certainty, we can say, SA国际影视传媒榠f the money comes in, we can get this thing up and running and thereSA国际影视传媒檚 nothing stopping us,SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� Humphries told Yellowknifer.
Faced with the shuttering of both Giant Mine and Con Mine in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Humphries and a group of like-minded nostalgists asked, SA国际影视传媒渉ow do we save some of YellowknifeSA国际影视传媒檚 history?SA国际影视传媒� Their answer SA国际影视传媒� salvaging a myriad of mining tools, equipment and artifacts from each site SA国际影视传媒� led the grass-roots group to amass a large collection of mining-related materials and memorabilia.
SA国际影视传媒淲e said, SA国际影视传媒極K, weSA国际影视传媒檙e saving all this stuff, now what the heck are we going to do with it?SA国际影视传媒� Well, weSA国际影视传媒檝e got to set up displays and find a centre for it,SA国际影视传媒� said Humphries.
The Giant Mine site, Humphries said, was soon eyed as a viable and appropriate location. But the road to meeting the societySA国际影视传媒檚 enduring goal of founding a museum dedicated to YellowknifeSA国际影视传媒檚 history was met with roadblocks.
After raising thousands in 2007 and 2010 to carry out emergency repairs on the recreation hallSA国际影视传媒檚 roof and wall, respectively, progress on the project was brought to a standstill.

SA国际影视传媒淲e got stalled by the Giant Mine remediation project for ten years. There was a period of time where we couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 do any work on the building itself because of the rules and regulations. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 all settled so now we can go ahead,SA国际影视传媒� Humphries said.

But with a price tag pegged at $1.2 million, going ahead with renovations wonSA国际影视传媒檛 be cheap. To bring the museum to life, complete with a planned exhibit hall, tea room, gift shop and library, Humphries said the society is relying on corporate and individual donations and government funding SA国际影视传媒� along with the continued support of volunteers.

ThursdaySA国际影视传媒檚 re-launch also saw Humphries offer an overview of plans to establish an outdoor display area that would hug the exterior of the museum at the Giant Mine townsite and feature larger pieces of equipment and machinery. The site is already home to some exhibits, but additions SA国际影视传媒� at a design and construction cost of $100,000 to $150,000 SA国际影视传媒� are planned.

Altogether, the Yellowknife Historical Society aims to raise $1.5 million to complete the project within the next two to three years.

By re-purposing the storied hall into a place where family and friends can converge and unearth their citySA国际影视传媒檚 history, Humphries said the museum will give Yellowknifers a SA国际影视传媒渟ense of place, of purpose.SA国际影视传媒�

Mike Byrne, a longtime member of the society, echoed Humphries musings about memories and the meaning they hold.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a touchstone. The rec hall was a centre of social activity at Giant Mine but not just for Giant Mine,SA国际影视传媒� Byrne said.

With the site of the envisioned museum a close drive from the citySA国际影视传媒檚 downtown, the society hopes its presence will encourage spin-off businesses, boost tourism and act as a SA国际影视传媒渇ocal point for the social, industrial and geological heritage of Yellowknife,SA国际影视传媒� its website stated.